improvement in carding apparatus intended for treating fibres of all kinds and more particularly textile fibres.



May 14, 1963 F. REITERER CARDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1958 4Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG INVENTOR. FERDINAND REITERER his ATTORNEYS May 14,1963 F. REITERER 3,089,200

CARDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1958 r 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.FERDINAND REITERER BMMMQ ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 F. REITERER CARDINGAPPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. FERDINANDREITERER hawhis ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 F. REITERER CARDING APPARATUS 4Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 14, 1958 United States Patent 3,089,200Ferdinand Reiterer, Rueil-Malmalson, France, assignor, by direct andmesne assignments, to Whitin Machine Works, Whitinsville, Mass, incorporation of Mamachusetts Filed Nov..14, 1958, Ser'. No. 774,056 7Claims priority, application France Nov. 16, 1957 12 Claims. (Cl.19-106) The present invention has for its object an improvement incarding apparatus intended for treating fibres of all kinds and moreparticularly textile fibres.

Carding apparatus usually comprises a first cylinder, known as the maincylinder or swift," parallel to which there rotates a second cylinder,known as the dofier, which is of smaller diameter, the peripheries ofwhich cylinders are provided with projecting needles or pins. The twocylinders rotate on their axes in opposite directions at speeds suchthat in the working zone, where they are substantially tangential to oneanother, their linear speeds are different. The fibres carried along bythe swift are thus detached therefromby the needles of the clutter andcondensed or collected'on the latter by reason of the difference in thelinear speeds of the two cylinders.

This arrangement has many drawbacks. In the first place, the fibres,which are substantially parallel to each other on the periphery of theswift, are turned round or back and their parallelism is spoiled andthis makes the drawing operations following the carding more difficult.Moreover, the fibres are subjected to rubbing, which may give-rise tothe formation of neps and an accumulation of dust and short fibres.

Finally, since the peripheral movements of the two cylinders, in theworking zone in which they are opposite one another, take place in thesame direction and at different speeds, a reduced air pressure isproduced above for a given piece of work. The result is high cost ofinstallation and the occupation of a large amount of space.

3,089,200 Patented May 14, 1963 internal cylindrical enclosure orchamber provided with vanes;

FIGURE 4 shows the arrangement providing air-tightness and forconnecting the said chamber to the fan;

FIGURES S and 6 are sectional views of a doffer cylinder having doubleperforated walls;

FIGURE 7 shows an internal chamber divided into a suction zone and ablowing zone;

FIGURE 8 shows an arrangement for cleaning the machine by pressurereduction and blowing; and finally FIGURES 9 and 10 show the device fordetaching or doffing the web.

In these figures, 1 designates the main cylinder or swift, on to theperiphery of which the fibres to be carded are brought by any knownmeans, and 2 designates the perforated hollow cylinder which replacesthe doffer provided with needles and which rotates about a shaft 3.Inside the cylinder 2 there is disposed, as previously stated, aninternal cylindrical partition having, opposite the swift 1, alongitudinal aperture 4. Preferably, the width of this aperture isadjustable by any known means, for example by forming the cylindricalpartition by means of two elements 5 and 6 which can overlap to agreater or lesser extent for the purpose of widening or narrowing theaperture 4 and 4 (FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 4). As mentioned, the inner wallof the elements 5, 6 is preferably provided with deflecting vanes suchas 7 (FIGURES). The element 5 is provided with a grid 18 over a certainarea for the purpose-of holding the web lightly against the perforatedcylinder 2 until it reaches its point of detachment. FIGURE 3 is adetail view showing an internal partition provided with the said vanes.7

At one of its lateral ends the cylinder 2 is open and connected, throughthe intermediary of an annular seal 8 (FIGURE 4) which permits therotation of the cylinder while ensuring air-tightness, to a connectingpiece'9 connected to a suction fan 10. The fan 10 blows the sucked- Thepresent invention has for its object to provide card-,v

ing apparatus which does not suffer from these disadfl vantages. j

The apparatus according to the invention is-characterised by the factthat a pneumatic doffer is used instead of the usual mechanical doffer.The doffer comprises a hollow doffer cylinder having aperforatedperipheral wall and the interior space of which is kept under reducedpressure. Preferably, inside this cylinder and concentrically therewiththere is disposed a fixed hollow cylin-- drical partition having, on theside facing the swift, a

one embodiment of carding apparatus according to the.

invention. In these drawings:

, FIGURE 1 is a side elevation;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view, of the whole of the installation;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a card having a fixed nected one to theother by means of a certain number in air into a box 11 provided with afilter 12 and in which the waste is collected, which latter can thus berecovered (FIGURE 2).

According to an improved and advantageous form of the doffer cylinder,which is shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, this cylindercan comprise a doublewall, namely the outer wall 2 containing fine perforations and an innerwall 19 disposed parallel to and at a certain distance from the firstwall and containing a smaller number of perforations of greater area. Tothis end, the doffer cylinder may consist of two concentric cylindersdisposed close to one another-the cylinder withfine perforations and thecylinder with large perforations-which are conof annular partitions 20extending at right angles to-the axis of the said cylinders. In this waythere is formed between the two cylinders a certain number ofcompartments each of which preferably comprises only a single row ofperforations in the inner cylinder.

This arrangement ensures more regular suction and better utilization ofthe perforated surface of the outer cylinder. Moreover, thefibres'detached from the main cylinder or swift are no longer sodetached in bulk, but in the form of strips or bands corresponding toeach of the compartments of the cylinders and this ensures improvedhomogeneity and improved parallelism of the fibres forming the web.Furthermore, the air set in motion is better guided, which results ingreater; regularity of the reduced pressure.

According to another improvement shown in FIGURE 7, the delivery of thefan securingthe suction in the doffer is utilized for cleaning the frameof the machine and/or the actual surface of the outer cylinder of thedoffer by blowing.

To this end, the inner part of the doffcr, that is to say' the fixedcylinder connected to the fan, can be divided by a longitudinalpartition 21 into two parts, one of which is connected to the fan by theduct 9 so as to be under reduced pressure, while the other is connectedto the fan by a second duct 22 so as to be under increased pressure. Itis clear, therefore, that after the surface of the dotfer has sucked upthe fibres as it passes in front of the aperture 4 it will be cleaned byblowing when, during the rotation of the dolfer, the surface thereofpasses into the zone which is under increased pressure.

According to yet another improvement, which is shown in FIGURE 8, theframe 23 of the machine which supports the swift 1 and the pneumaticdoffer is provided in its lower portion with a double bottom 24 made ofperforated sheet metal in which the waste is deposited and which isplaced in communication with. the suction side of the chamber of the fan10 through a duct 25. More-- over, the delivery opening 26 of thischamber can be disposed so as to ensure the cleaning of the variousparts of the machine, and in particular of the swift 1, by blowing. Thearrows show the direction of circulation of the air.

Owing to this arrangement, the waste coming from the various cleaningmeans is not deposited in a heap in the form of a pyramid, but is spreadin a layer over the whole of the area of the double bottom. The resultis the possibility of accumulating a much larger quantity of waste in abox of given volume, which causes a saving in handling. Finally, inconsequence of the reduced pressure prevailing in the lower part of thecard, the dust no longer has a tendency to spread outwards, but on thecontrary is sucked towards the double bottom and this purifies theatmosphere and reduces the frequency of cleaning operations, since theessential parts of the card are clogged to a lesser extent.

The detachment of the web from the dofl er may be accomplished by manysuitable means such as a conventional detaching device 16.

Moreover, the assembly consisting of the doffer and the detaching ordofiing device is preferably mounted on an adjustable frame 17, whichenables the distance between the shaft of the doifer 2 and the shaft ofthe swift 1 to be varied.

Regulation of the suction can also be obtained by changing the positionof the damper or regulator system 14. The fan is preferably driven by amotor 13, but can be driven, if necessary by means of a transmissionconnected to the driving pulley of the swift.

The apparatus according to the invention eliminates turning round orback of the fibres, because after the suction has been exerted on thelatter they are retained on the surface of the perforated cylinder bythe reduced pressure prevailing inside the suction opening. Theelimination of the rubbing of the fibres reduces the formation of dustand waste and ensures improved parallelism of the fibres on the surfaceof the perforated cylinder, since these fibres do not change theirposition again after they have been caught. The maintenance of thisparallelism assists in simplifying the drawing processes which followthe carding and it permits of obtaining more regular rovings andslivers.

Furthermore, since the detachment of the fibres from swift is effectedby suction, there is no longer any difference of pressure andconsequently no more tendency entrainment and accumulation of the fibresin the angle of the casing below the said zone.

Moreover, the apparatus according to the invention ensures additionaland effective cleaning of the fibres, since the dust in suspension, andalso any small impurities, are evacuated through the openings in theperforated cylinder. This dust-removing action improves the quality ofthe finished product and reduces the cleaning time, while avoiding thedispersal of the dust in the surrounding air.

Finally, the suction which takes place through the orifice of thecylinder is more intense in the places where the deposit of fibres islighter. eifect in the drawing of the fibres on to the cylinder isobtained and this enables a web to be produced which is more regularthan that obtained by the known methods.

The carding is also more effective, because the fibres are suckedtowards the tips of the needles of the clothing of the swift, that is tosay to the place where the effectiveness of the apparatus is greatest,instead of remaining accumulated at the base of the needles. Thefrequency with which the cylinders are cleared is consequentlyconsiderably reduced.

For this reason, and also by reason of the elimination of the rubbing ofthe fibres, the apparatus according to the invention enables the outputof the card to be considerably increased. This increase in output ofeach card enables the number of cards required for a given piece of workto be reduced, which results in a very considerable saving ofinstallation costs and space. The over-all efiiciency is considerablyincreased.

I claim:

1. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder for use as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibers to betreated are brought, and a doffer cylinder of smaller diameter than thefirst cylinder and rotating parallel to the first cylinder, said dotfercylinder having an external cylindrical wall having a. large number ofline perforations and a concentric inner wall disposed coaxially withthe first wall and having a smaller number of perforations of greaterarea, and a plurality of arcuately shaped partitions extending betweensaid walls and defining therewith a plurality of arcuate compartments,and means for maintaining at a reduced pressure an interior space alongat least a portion of said dotfer cylinder facing said main cylinderwhereby fibers may be held upon said doifer cylinder by an air streampassing through said compartments to said reduced pressure space.

2. Carding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said partitions eachhave an annular configuration and define annular compartments betweensaid walls.

. 3. Carding apparatus according to claim 2, in which the annularcompartments bounded by two adjacent partitions each comprises a singlerow of perforations of the inner wall.

4. Carding apparatus according to claim 1, which cornprises a fixed,hollow cylinder disposed concentrically with and inside the perforatedrotating doffer cylinder and having throughout its length, on the sidefacing said main cylinder at least one aperture forming a suctionopening.

5. Carding apparatus according to claim 4, in which the fixed cylinderis divided by a longitudinal partition into two compartments, one ofwhich is connected to the suction side of the fan and to the suctionaperture opposite the swift, while the other is connected to thedelivery or pressure side of the fan and is exposed to said doffercylinder for the purpose of cleaning the surface of the doffer cylinderduring the rotation of the latter.

6. Carding apparatus according to claim 4, in which the fixed cylinderhas an inner Wall provided with deflecting vanes for the purpose ofequalizing the reduced pressure inside the said cylinder along saidaperture.

7. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, compris- 1 ing a mainfirst cylinder for use as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibersto be treated are brought and Thus, a self-regulation pressure side ofsaid fan for cleaning various parts of the carding apparatus by airdelivered by the fan.

8. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder for use as a swift onto the pe riphery of which the fibers tobe treated are brought and a dofier cylinder of smaller diameter thansaid first cylinder and rotating parallel to the first cylinder, saiddotfer cylinder being hollow and having a peripheral cylindrical wallcomprising a series of perforations, and means for keeping the interiorspace of said dofier cylinder under reduced pressure to hold fibersagainst said doffer cylinder by air flow therethrough, saidlast-mentioned means comprising a fan for withdrawing air from saiddoffer cylinder, said carding apparatus including a frame having in itslower portion a double bottom including a perforated wall exposed to theapparatus and defining a chamber, and means for placing saidchamber incommunication with said fan so that the fan maintains a reduced pressurein'said chamber to retain waste material from said apparatus on saidlast-mentioned perforate wall.

9. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder for use as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibers to betreated are brought, a doffer cylinder of smaller diameter than thefirst cylinder and arranged to rotate parallel to the first cylinder andadjacent thereto, said doffer cylinder having a perforate peripheralwall, and means for keeping an interior space of said doffer cylinderunder reduced pressure to draw air through the perforations of saidperforated wall for holding fibers thereagainst, said last-mentionedmeans including a fixed hollow structure disposed within the perforatedrotating doifer cylinder and having throughout its length on the sidefacing said first cylinder at least one aperture forming a suctionopening, said fixed structure being divided by a longitudinal partitioninto two compartments, said last-mentioned means further including a fanand means for connecting the suction side of the fan to one of saidcompartments and the delivery side of the fan to the other compartment,said one compartment being also connected to said suction opening, andsaid other compartment being exposed to said dotfer cylinder for thepurpose of cleaning the surface of the latter during its rotation.

10. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder for use as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibers to betreated are brought and a doffer cylinder of smaller diameter than saidfirst cylinder and rotating parallel to the first cylinder, saiddo'iie'r cylinder being hollow and having a peripheral cylindricai wallprovided with a series of perforations, and means for keeping at least aport-ion of the interior space of said dotfer cylinder under reducedpressure to hold fibers against said dolfer cylinder by air flowtherethrough, said last'mentioned means comprising a fan for withdrawingair from said doffer cylinder, said carding apparatus in cluding a framehaving in its lower portion a double bottom including a perforated wallexposed to the apparatus and defining a chamber, and means for placingsaid chamber in comunication with said fan so that the fan maintains areduced pressure in said chamber to retain waste material from saidapparatus on said last mentioned perforated wall.

11. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder for use as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibers to betreated are brought, and a doffer cylinder of smaller diameter than thefirst cylinder and rotating parallel to the first cylinder, said difiercylinder having an external cylindrical wall and a concentric inner walldisposed coaxially wit-h the first wall, said external cylindrical walland concentric inner wall each having perforations therein, a pluralityof annular partitions extending between said walls and definingtherewith a plurality of annular compartments, and means for maintainingat a reduced pressure an interior space along at least a portion of saiddoffer cylinder facing said main cylinder whereby fibers may be heldupon said dofier cylinder by an air stream passing through saidcompartments to said reduced pressure space.

12. Carding apparatus for fibers of all kinds, comprising a main firstcylinder foruse as a swift onto the periphery of which the fibers to betreated are brought, and a dofier cylinder of smaller diameter than thefirst cylinder and rotating parallel to the first cylinder, said dofiercylinder having an external cylindrical wall having a large number ofperforations therein and a concentric inner wall disposed coaxially withthe first wall and having a lesser number of perforations therein, aplurality of annular partitions extending between said walls anddefining therewith a plurality of spaced annular compartments, and meansfor maintaining at a reduced pressure an interior space along at least aportion of said dofier cylinder facing said main cylinder whereby fibersmay be held upon said doffer cylinder by an air stream passing throughsaid compartment to said reduced pressure space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,280,863 Saunders Oct. 8, 1918 1,913,479 Dunseth June 13. 19332,687,363 Manning Aug. 24, 1954 2,731,679 Kennette et al Jan. 24, 19562,788,547 Kaufman et a1 Apr. 16, 1957 2,924,063 Datwyler Feb. 9, 19602,935,766 Lehman May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 528,727 Great Britain Nov.5, 1940 637,870 Great Britain May 31, 19

9. CARDING APPARATUS FOR FIBERS OF ALL KINDS, COMPRISING A MAIN FIRSTCYLINDER FOR USE AS A SWIFT ONTO THE PERIPHERY OF WHICH THE FIBERS TO BETREATED ARE BROUGHT, A DOFFER CYLINDER OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN THEFIRST CYLINDER AND ARRANGED TO ROTATE PARALLEL TO THE FIRST CYLINDER ANDADJACENT THERETO, SAID DOFFER CYLINDER HAVING A PERFORATE PERIPHERALWALL, AND MEANS FOR KEEPING AN INTERIOR SPACE OF SAID DOFFER CYLINDERUNDER REDUCED PRESSURE TO DRAW AIR THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS OF SAIDPERFORATED WALL FOR HOLDING FIBERS THEREAGAINST SAID LAST-MENTIONEDMEANS INCLUDING A FIXED HOLLOW STRUCTURE DISPOSED WITHIN THE PERFORATEDROTATING DOFFER CYLINDER AND HAVING THROUHOUT ITS LENGTH ON THE SIDEFACING SAID FIRST CYLINDER AT LEAST ONE APERTURE FORMING A SUCTIONOPENING, SAID FIXED STRUCTURE BEING DIVIDED BY A LONGITUDINAL PARTITIONINTO TWO COMPARTMENTS, SAID LAST-MENTIONED MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A FANAND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SUCTION SIDE OF THE FAN TO ONE OF SAIDCOMPARTMENTS AND THE DELIVERY SIDE OF THE FAN TO THE OTHER COMPARTMENT,SAID ONE COMPARTMENT BEING ALSO CONNECTED TO SAID SUCTION OPENING, ANDSAID OTHER COMPARTMENT BEING EXPOSED TO SAID DOFFER CYLINDER FOR THEPURPOSE OF CLEANING THE SURFACE OF THE LATTER DURING ITS ROTATION.